(CNS): When the Legislative Assembly starts Thursday morning, the independent member for North Side will be boycotting the usual pomp and ceremony at the opening of the meeting in protest at the premier’s continuation in office while being under investigation by the police. Ezzard Miller said that if McKeeva Bush will not do the honourable thing and step aside voluntarily until the probe into financial irregularities is complete, his own party members should take the lead and force him to step down and elected a temporary leader to save the country any potential embarrassment of a forced early election.

“I don’t think that McKeeva Bush should remain as premier in the country’s leadership role while he is under police investigation,” Miller told CNS, as he explained that he would be standing up outside the LA under the tree until the ceremonial element is over ahead of the delivery of government’s strategic policy statement.

The independent member said it would be a very short protest merely to draw attention to the need for the premier to resign and he would be going into the parliament to work on behalf of his constituents once the business of the House was underway.

“The purpose is to send a signal to the UDP members to remove him from office and elect another leader to avoid the possible embarrassment of an unscheduled election,” Miller added.

He explained that the Westminster system under which the Cayman Islands works allows for a political party to elect their leader, providing for a smooth transition to a member that can take the helm until such time as the premier’s situation is resolved.

Bush is currently part of a police investigation related to a letter that was apparently sent from his ministry’s fax machine in October 2004, when the premier was the leader of government business. The fax is on Windsor Development letterhead, Bush’s wife’s company of which he is also a director.

Addressed to Stan Thomas, a Texan based developer and former major land owner in Cayman, the letter appears to be signed by Bush and asks Thomas for $350,000, in relation to zone changes that were made by Cabinet. At the time the letter is dated, the developer owned land in the Vista Norte area of the West Bay Road, which was recently sold to Dart.

The premier has said very little about the correspondence. He has referred to it as a real estate bill but has not elaborated further as the zoning fee for the particular plot had been paid by the previous land owner through the normal channels.

Following confirmation from the governor’s office this summer that Bush was the subject of an investigation by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service into financial irregularities, Miller has persistently pushed for him to step aside until the matter is dealt with.

Even if the premier is completely innocent, Miller believes that for the sake of the country and its stability he should do the honourable thing. If he will not, as appears to be the case, the North Side MLA said Bush's UDP party colleagues should force the issue for the greater good of the Cayman Islands.

Given that the UDP is unlikely to grant Miller’s request, the premier is expected to be delivering his government’s strategic policy statement tomorrow, setting out the government’s broad plans over the next 18 months.

The government will also be debating a private member's motion filed by Miller regarding proposed changes to the Anti-corruption Commission to replace the police commissioner and other officials who are involved in the actual investigative process with neutral members.

The members of the Legislative Assembly will also be facing a full agenda of bills, including changes to the penal code, the criminal procedure code and amendments to the mutual funds law, among others.The Legislative Assembly meeting is scheduled to start at 10:00am and is open to the public.

If someone like Ezzard doesn't keep dragging these issues out into the daylight, they will just crawl back under the rock and be forgotten. What is disturbing is the time it has taken for the RCIPS to complete the investigation – the longer the due process the worse become the memories of people with relevant information relating to the events.

The RCIPS is taking time in this instance to get the facts right. Why would you want them to rush this investigation and botch it like they do most others. Let them take their time, and if they come up with a positive score, give them credit for doing a good job.

While the politicians spar; Cayman is burning. A large local bank headquartered in Bermuda laid off several Caymanians last week. This goes completely unreported in the local media. The bank has mechanisms in place to snuggle up to the press… They have consistently managed over the years to put 'bad news' in the business section with small headlines. Complicity!!

It's not just the on-going police probe but the allegations that were apparently made in the 2010 Bridger/Polaine complaint. The Governor not only chose to dismiss that complaint earlier this year but then refused to make any material relating to it public on the grounds that the contents were 'defamatory'. Despite this his comments, by implication, suggested that it involved senior members of the current administration.

Based on material supplied to the UK press, Polaine and Bridger apparently claimed interference in the Operation Tempura investigation that had, amongst many other things, received allegations of corruption against senior members of the previous UDP adminstration. The main concern in this area was that political influence had been applied to prevent Operation Tempura's mandate being expanded to include the investigation of these complaints.

Until this matter is brought out into the open we are left to speculate on what might be going on and that is not healthy in the current political/economic climate.

What planet are you Bush haters from? Once again Ezzard has tried to grab the attention in a childish display.

What major country would the leader of the country step down during an investigation. Clinton never stepped down during the impeachment process for God's sake. French and Italian leaders also stayed in power during investigations. Many of you need anouther outlet for the frustrations in your life and stop listening to that radio crap.

It is ok to hate McKeeva but try to make sense instead of these Rooster talk radio rants .

Clinton didn't step down no but his whole ordeal was NOT a criminal case. On the other hand Nixon stepped down and his case WAS criminal in nature (Watergate). What you need to realise is that this is not the first scandal with him right in the middle.

How does the saying go…Where there is smoke there is fire! And right now he should be feeling alot of heat!

Come to think of it there is a precedent. Right here in Cayman too. There was this ExCo member bank in the 1990s who was involved in a banking scandal. Apparently he was a director ofthe Bank. Never charged with anything mind you but while the investigation was ongoing the Governor relieved him of his duties and his colleagues in ExCo pressured him to resign.

Tru Tru wha' you say? You think he should resign? How come you gone so quiet about good governance these days?

The Premier is innocent until proven guilty. People need to learn to be more objective and have a little patience. Why destroy the reputation of a person and a country with unconfirmed allegations? I believe in justice and if the man is innocent or guilty let him have his day in the actual court of law and not in the court of public opinion. I rest my case.

The Premier is destroying his own reputation if there is indeed a legitimate explanation for all of the damaging evidence against him and he has failed to bring that to the police and to the public. Perhaps the police would close the case and he would not need his day in court. It really should be quite simple. For example, here is the contract between Mr. Thomas and Windsor Development. These are the services for which Windsor was being paid. The two (or three) instalments were given according to the contract. The reference to ensuring rezoning was a completely separate issue that I just said as an aside in my letter to him. I didn't sue Mr. Thomas when he refused to pay the balance because I am a really nice guy who doesn't like to sue people and money isn't all that important to me…etc.

The PPM are too passive and sit back while the UDP runs us into the reef. I think ezzard needs to for the 3rd choice and soon We cannot sit back and wait for the PPM to do it, we will be getting more of the same. We need NEW leadership and a new choice. If Ezzard formed a 3rd party I would vote for them.

McKeeva must go! The minister of everything has not just refused to give a rational and plausible explanation to his letter to Stan Thomas, he has refused to give any explanation at all!!

He is giving two fingers to the Caymanian people! Not acceptable!! It will not be tolerated!!

He cannot remain in his position as Premier and Minister of the two most important portfolios in Government while there is prima facie evidence of corruption in the public domain for which he is being actively investigated. It simply cant be allowed!!

In any other country it would not be allowed!!

Imagine David Cameron being in that situation and refusing to step down. He coud never survive more than a few days. The press and the public would have his hide!!

Governor, enough of the political expediency, introduce this man to the scales of justice!

This is nothing more than Ezzard trying to grab attention, and the power that may result from this Politricks as usual for him. Has he thought of the damage he is doing by his obviously still unbridled tongue?

Where did he go to college again, to become Caymans first pharmacy technician, and whatever happened to that career and busines?

You can tell when someone has nothing meaninful or sensible to add, they start to attack a person's character instead of addressing the issue at hand.

Whether you think Ezzard just has a big mouth and is trying to draw attention to himself, fact remains he is pointing out what should be obvious to everyone else. Why hasn't the Premier adequately addressed this issue with Stan Thomas?

Why would he have a real estate bill with someone where he was not the realtor, nor was his wife's company the realtor. The letter I read clearly states what he is asking for the money for……..he has "ensured" that Cabinet had done the re-zoning.

If this request for funds is above board, why hasn't he sued this man Stan Thomas for his money? The Premier is so generous he is willing to just forgive a $350,000 debt? Oh, I forgot he is a Christian and they don't sue people.

XXXXX

If he is innocent, he should have nothing to hide and co-operate fully in order to prove his innocence, instead it appears that he believes that all the Caymanians (well at least he knows he has the West Bayers believing that story) are so naive and clueless that they will just accept that it was a real estate bill and the PPM and Ezzard is just trying to cause trouble.

It is sad to know that some of us do not want anyone to speak out on the ill-wills of what is happening in our Islands – Seems that we should sit by idly and padlock our mouths, like most of our MLAs and Ministers do. There's no time to stand and stare like sheep or cows. If Ezzard, Alden and Arden sat by under the grape trees every day, tell me where would we end up??

Got to say I am getting tired of the "showmanship" of Ezzard. Nothing wrong with standing up for what you believe in but he is constantly trying to keep himself in the spotlight…maybe the trappings of the Premier's office are sounding real good to him now.

Don't let anyone fool you. This is the same Ezzard we had years ago and like Mckeeva, once he gets the power, same old, same old…Wait and see!

People are right when they say that the other UDP members will stand behind Mac because he got most of them into their current high paying jobs. I do not understand why.

What they should now do is decide if they want another chance to get reelected or not. Right now Mac is not only the country's biggest determent but also theirs. That is if they really want a chance to get back in office next election and do well for the people. Or even if they just want to get back in and continue to draw the big pay check. Either way the only way they can do that is to denounce Mac now, elect another of their own to take over as Premier , and rule with the best interest of the people in mind.

Only then will they stand any chance of success. I can't believe that they do not see this. Or maybe the question should be, "What does Mac have on them that they have no will to do the right thing?"

The people are waiting for them to do the right thing. Sadly for us and for them I am afraid they will not.

He has succeeded in drawing attention to the premier's investigation and how wrong it is for the premier to continue in office while under police investigation for a criminal act.

this is not some extra marital affair being investigated by a select team of political appointees, this my friends, is a police led criminal investigation of the highest order.

One that is embarrassing this country and our people internationally on a daily basis as long as the premier refuses to loose his titan grip on power.

Even blind Bartimeus can see whats happening here. XXXXX We just cant figure out how the handful of hardcore supporters of the premier including his cabinet do not see how wrong it is for him to stay in office.

How much longer is this dwindling minority going to continue to defend the indefensible??